MANILA, Philippines - The highlights of the year-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the 23rd Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay on November 18-19, 2015.

In the culminating event, more than 30 APEC technical working groups and committees (Senior Officials) are expected to endorse action plans and statements to Ministers and Leaders, for adoption.

The APEC process thus comes full circle when the Ministers and Leaders, in the form of the Joint (Foreign Affairs and Trade) Ministerial Statement and Leaders’ Declaration, issue their policy guidance for the APEC year ahead and long-term vision.

APEC 2015 had a total of 229 meetings, including meetings under the APEC Finance Ministers’ Process, sectoral ministerial meetings and high-level policy dialogues, and the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) as the private sector arm of APEC.

10 Things to Know for 2015 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

The 21 members of APEC referred to as “member economies”—which account for approximately 40 percent of the world’s population, approximately 54 percent of world GDP and about 47 percent of world trade.

The main objective is to boost trade and inclusive, sustainable growth in the Pacific Rim.

Here are the ten things to know about the proceedings: economies in transition, opening new era of growth for all members, regional economic integration, tackles next generation trade and investment issues, seek game changing trade and growth-boosting measures, push to deliver environment goods tariff reductions, new action agenda for micro, small and medium enterprise participation in regional and global markets, fighting inequality, mitigating climate change and new disaster risks and connectivity and security amid rising threats.

This is the second time that the country hosted the regional economic forum of the leaders of APEC member economies. The first AELM in the Philippines was held from November 24 to 25, 1996, at Subic Bay, Zambales.